Later this month at Photokina, Zeiss is set to announce a new top of the line Distagon 55mm f/1.4 ZE lens for both Canon and Nikon mounts. This new "normal lens" will complement their current 50mm f/1.4 ZE Planar T* and 50mm f/2.0 Makro-Planar ZE lenses.

"A must-see attraction is a high-performance, full-format SLR camera lens with manual focus. With a focal length of 55 mm and aperture of f/1.4, this lens is the first model of a new product family designed for demanding users. Thanks to a newly developed optical design, this lens is superior to conventional full-frame lenses, and it achieves with powerful full-frame, full-format cameras an image performance that until now has only been seen with medium-format systems. The first prototype of this new range will celebrate its world debut at Photokina. The family of lenses is expected to be on the market in the second half of 2013 for EF bayonet (ZE) and F bayonet (ZF.2)."

OH WOW, HOW AWESOME, I hope it shines as much as the 35mm 1.4 ZE, and the 21mm f/2.8 ZE! I like that focal length, not to long, not to short! The f/1.4 will be marvelous for those of us insane enough to attempt championing thin DOF xD

Is this a scaled-down 6x6 ex-Hassleblad design with a massive image circle to avoid the double-gauss MTF doughtnut dip in the periphery? If so, is that 82mm front necessary to get enough light to hit 1.4 (see, e.g., 24/1.4 designs -- but no 6x6 (or 645 for that matter) lens ever hit f1.4.)

Why no Cosina-style metal focusing ring? Does the wide rubber grip make it amenable to attaching a focus pulling rig?